Method of interpreting control command, and portable electronic device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method of interpreting a control command given on a touch screen of a portable electronic device, in which method the combination of a touch on an area interpreted as a contact area and a release of the touch from the area interpreted as said same contact area is interpreted as a control command. The method comprises interpreting, once the contact area has been touched, a larger contact area as said same contact area for the release of the touch than the contact area before the touch.

FIELD

The invention relates to a portable electronic device and a method ofinterpreting a control command. The invention relates to a portableelectronic device including a touch screen and to a method ofinterpreting a control command in a device including a touch screen.

BACKGROUND

In prior art portable electronic devices, touch screens are used toreplace the mouse and the keypad, for example. The user issues controlcommands to the device by touching objects visible on the touch screen.The device interprets a touch on an area interpreted as a contact areaand the release of the touch from the same area interpreted as a contactarea as a control command. The contact areas are usually touched bymeans of a pen or a finger.

Prior art portable electronic devices are often small and it is hard toaccurately hit the objects visible on the touch screens of the devices.Giving control commands by means of a touch screen in a moving vehicle,for example, is tedious, since the accuracy of the hit impairs as thehand or pen shakes. The slippery surface of the tip of a pen alsocomplicates hitting the desired contact areas on a touch screen. It isusual that when touching a contact area on a touch screen with a pen,for example, the pen glides a considerable distance from the contactpoint before the touch is released. If the point of release of the touchhappens to be in a different contact area than the one the touchoriginally was directed to, the control command is not interpreted ascompleted and the user has to retry to give the control command. Sinceit is tedious to give control commands, large contact areas have to beused, which again makes the use of a touch screen difficult, since onlya few large objects fit the touch screen simultaneously.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

An object of the invention is to provide a method and a device forimplementing the method so as to alleviate prior art problems. This isachieved by a method of interpreting a control command given on a touchscreen of a portable electronic device, in which method the combinationof a touch on an area interpreted as a contact area and a release of thetouch from the area interpreted as said same contact area is interpretedas a control command. The method of the invention comprises:interpreting, once a contact area has been touched, a larger contactarea as said same contact area for the release of the touch than thecontact area before the touch.

The invention also relates to a portable electronic device comprising atouch screen having a plurality of contact areas, and a control unit forinterpreting control commands given on the touch screen, in which devicethe combination of a touch on an area interpreted as a contact area anda release of the touch from the area interpreted as said same contactarea is interpreted as a control command. In the device of theinvention, once the contact area has been touched, the control unit isconfigured to interpret a larger contact area as said same contact areafor the release of the touch than the contact area before the touch.

The preferred embodiments of the invention are described in thedependent claims.

The method and device of the invention provide a plurality ofadvantages. The accuracy of giving control commands increases. Smallercontact areas may be used, whereby more objects fit onto the touchscreen. In addition, the user friendliness of the device improves andthe device is also easier to use under difficult conditions, such as inmoving vehicles.

LIST OF THE FIGURES

In the following, the invention will be described in detail inconnection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which

FIGS. 1A and 1B show devices of the invention,

FIGS. 2A and 2B show details of the touch screen of a device of theinvention, and

FIG. 3 shows details of the touch screen of a device of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The invention is applicable in portable electronic devices, such as amobile station used as a terminal in telecommunication systemscomprising one or more base stations and terminals communicating withthe base stations. In some embodiments of the invention, the deviceincludes means for short-range communication, such as a transceiverfunction implemented with a Bluetooth chip, an infrared or WLANconnection, for example. The portable electronic device is e.g. a mobiletelephone or another device including telecommunication means, such as aportable computer, a handheld computer or a smart telephone. Theapplication is also applicable in PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)devices including the necessary telecommunication means, or in PDAdevices that can be coupled to a mobile telephone, for instance, for anetwork connection. The portable electronic device may also be acomputer or PDA device not including telecommunication means.

FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of the structure of a portable electronicdevice. The basic functions of the device are controlled by a controlunit 100, typically implemented by means of a microprocessor andsoftware or separate components. The user interface of the devicecomprises a display 104 and a contact surface 102, which together form atouch screen 106. An alternative is to have only a contact surface 102and no display 104 at all. In the touch screen 106, the contact surface102 is on top of the display 104. An alternative way to implement thetouch screen is not to actually place anything on top of the display104, but to indicate the contact point by other means, such ascapacitively or acoustically. Typically, the display 104 is a liquidcrystal display.

A way to implement the contact surface 102 is based on two overlappingtransparent films and continuous electric current, which is generatedbetween the films when the outer film is pressed with a finger oranother object against the lower film, which is covered with a resistivelayer. The contact surface 102 may also be implemented capacitively,whereby the surface is covered with an electrically conducting layer,over which an alternating current acts. The capacitance of the humanbody couples part of the voltage at the contact point to ground,allowing the voltage to be measured. The contact surface 102 can also beimplemented acoustically based on ultrasonic waves traversing thesurface of the display. When the display is touched, the sonic wavetraversing the surface is attenuated, and the change can be measured.Infrared light may also be used instead of sonic waves. It is alsofeasible to implement the contact surface 102 by means of power sensorsor a projector and cameras. In principle, the contact surface 102 may beany surface on which an image is reflected with a projector and a camerais used to detect the point where the projected image was touched.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of the structure of an electronic device. Allbasic functions of the device, including the keypad and the touch screenfunctions, are controlled by the control unit 100, typically implementedby means of a microprocessor and software or separate components. Theuser interface of the device comprises a touch screen 106, which, asmentioned, is the whole formed by the contact surface 102 and thedisplay 104 shown in FIG. 1A. In addition, the user interface of thedevice may include a loudspeaker 114 and a keypad part 112. Depending onthe type of device, there may be different and a different number ofuser interface parts. The device of FIG. 1B, such as a mobile station,also includes conventional means 108 that implement the functions of amobile station and include speech and channel coders, modulators and RFparts. The device also comprises an antenna 110.

The device is controlled by means of the touch screen 106 such that thedesired selections are made by touching the desired contact area visibleon the touch screen 106 and by releasing the touch from said samecontact area. A control command given to the device is the combinationof a touch on an area interpreted as a contact area and a release of thetouch from the area interpreted as the same contact area. The touch iscarried out by means of a pen or a finger, for example. In order for thecontrol unit 100 of the device to interpret the touch and the release ofthe touch as a control command, said functions are to be executed in anarea interpreted as the same contact area. For example, if a contactarea interpreted as a contact area is touched and the touch is releasedin a contact area interpreted as another contact area, the control unit100 does not interpret it as a control command.

In an embodiment of the invention, the control unit 100 detects a touchon a contact area on the touch screen 106, and as a result, the controlunit 100 interprets a larger area than the contact area covered beforethe touch as the same contact area for the release of the touch. Inpractice, a touch on a contact area interpreted as a contact arearesults in that the software in the memory of the control unit detectsit as a contact area, and, as a result, the area interpreted as the samecontact area is expanded. When the touch is released from the touchscreen 106, the control unit 100 interprets the release of the touch tohave occurred in a larger contact area than what the contact area wasbefore the touch. Consequently, the touch does not necessarily have tobe released in the contact area that was interpreted as a contact areabefore the touch. On the other hand, if the touch is released outsidethe larger area, interpreted as the same contact area, the controlcommand fails.

The larger contact area, interpreted as the same contact area for therelease of the touch, includes, not only the contact area that wasinterpreted as the contact area before the touch, but also part of thearea surrounding the contact area for the touch. Thus, the distancebetween the touch and the release of the touch for the control commandcan be longer than in prior art solutions, where the contact area is notexpanded for the release of the touch, which also helps the user ingiving a control command. The fact how much the contact area is expandedfor the release after the touch depends on settings made by the user orthe manufacturer of the device, for example. The larger contact area forthe release of the touch includes, not only the contact area for thetouch, but also part of the area surrounding the contact area for thetouch. The additional area created by the expanded contact area is forinstance an equally large area surrounding the contact area in everydirection. The larger contact area is for instance 25% larger than thearea interpreted as the contact area before the touch. If the contactarea is located for instance at the edge or corner of the touch screen106, the additional area created by the larger contact area is only inthe directions where the edges of the touch screen 106 are not in theway. Not only the edges, but also other active areas on the touch screen106, such as an Internet window, may prevent the expansion.

In an embodiment of the invention, a function may be programmed, as aresult of which a light signal is given once the control unit 100detects a touch on a contact area. Said light signal lights up thecontact area and remains on to indicate that the touch stays in the areainterpreted as the contact area also when the touch moves to a largercontact area before it is released. On the other hand, if the contactpoint moves, after the contact area is touched, outside the areainterpreted as the contact area for the release, the light signal goesout to indicate that the contact point is outside the area interpretedas the contact area. In an embodiment of the invention, the user mayselect other signals than a light signal to indicate for instance thatthe touch remains in the area interpreted as a contact area. Such asignal may be a sound signal, for example. Signalling may also beincorporated as part of the different user profiles of the devicespecified by the user, and for example in such a manner that in a givenuser profile, a sound signal is given as the result of a touch on acontact area, and in some other user profile, a light signal is given toindicate a correct touch.

Let us next study the examples of FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIGS. 2A and 2B showa contact area 200 on a touch screen. There are a desired number ofcontact areas on a touch screen. A touch on a contact area 200 and arelease of the touch on said same contact area results in softwarefunctions associated with said contact area 200 in the control unit ofthe device. When a contact area 200 is touched, the control unitinterprets a larger contact area 202 than the contact area 200 as such acontact area from which the touch is to be released. In FIGS. 2A and 2B,the larger contact area 202 is shown by broken lines. When the user of adevice comprising a touch screen touches the contact area 200 insituations according to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the touch can be released inthe larger contact area 202 for instance such that the point of releaseis not at all in the area of the contact area 200 for the touch.

In the example of FIG. 2A, the larger contact area 202 for the releasesurrounds the contact area 200 and extends equally far in everydirection relative to the borders of the contact area 200. In FIG. 2B,the larger contact area 202 includes, not only the contact area 200, butalso an expansion starting from the lower edge and sides of the contactarea 200. The larger contact area 202 may also include less area on theside of the upper edge of the contact area 200 than on the side of thelower edge of the contact area 200 such that the expansion does notextend equally far in every direction.

Let us study the example of FIG. 3 of a solution of the invention. FIG.3 shows contact areas 300 to 315 on a touch screen, larger contact areas320 and 322 for the release, illustrated by broken lines, contact points316 and 323 touched on the touch screen, a touch path 317 and 324 afterthe contact points 316, 323, and touch release points 318 and 325. Whenthe user wants to give control commands to the device, he touches thedesired contact areas 300 to 315 and tries to release the touch in thecontact area interpreted as the same where the touch began.

In the example of FIG. 3, the user wants the device to carry out givenfunctions and to accomplish this, has to give a control command incontact area 305. The user initiates the control command by touchingcontact area 305. The touch hits contact point 316 in contact area 305.Contact point 316 is within the contact area 305 desired by the user,and as a sign for the user a signal light, for example, could be lit incontact area 305. When the user has touched contact area 305, thecontrol unit interprets the larger contact area 320, outlined by brokenlines, as the same contact area for the release. In order for thecontrol command to succeed, the user has to release the touch in thearea inside said larger contact area 320. Before the touch is released,the pen or finger of the user glides on the surface of the touch screenalong the touch path 317. The user releases the touch at touch releasepoint 318, which is within the borders of the larger contact area 320.Since touch release point 318 is in the contact area that is interpretedas the same as the one where contact point 316 was located, the controlcommand succeeds. If the device did not interpret the larger contactarea as the contact area, the release point would then be in the wrongcontact area 309 and the control command would fail.

Next, in the example of FIG. 3, the user wants to give a control commandin contact area 303. As previously, the user starts executing thecontrol command by touching said contact area 303. The touch hitscontact area 303 at contact point 323. The device now interprets thelarger contact area 322, outlined by broken lines, as said same contactarea, from which the touch has to be released in order for the controlcommand to succeed. However, before the touch is released, the pen orfinger of the user glides on the surface of the touch screen along thetouch path 324. The touch path 324 partly extends outside the largercontact area 322. However, the user releases the touch at release point325, which is located in the larger contact area, interpreted as thesame contact area that the touch hit. The control command againsucceeds, although during its execution the pen or finger was outsidethe larger contact area for the release of the touch. If a light signalis lit as a sign of a touch on contact area 303, it may have gone outwhen the user's pen or finger was outside the area 322 interpreted as acontact area. When the user then corrects the movement, for instancealarmed by the light signal going out, the light signal is again lit asa sign of the return to the larger contact area 322 for the release.

Although the invention is described above with reference to examplesaccording to the accompanying drawings, it is apparent that theinvention is not limited thereto, but can be modified in a variety ofways within the scope of the inventive idea disclosed in the attachedclaims.

1. A method of interpreting a control command given on a touch screen ofa portable electronic device, in which method the combination of a touchon an area interpreted as a contact area and a release of the touch fromthe area interpreted as said same contact area is interpreted as acontrol command, the method comprising interpreting, once the contactarea has been touched, a larger contact area as said same contact areafor the release of the touch than the contact area before the touch. 2.A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the larger contact area for therelease of the touch including, not only the contact area for the touch,but also part of the area adjacent to the contact area.
 3. A method asclaimed in claim 1, the method comprising interpreting the largercontact area for the release of the touch to include, not only thecontact area for the touch, but also an expansion of the contact areafor the touch in each free direction.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 3,the method comprising interpreting the larger contact area for therelease of the touch to include, not only the contact are a for thetouch, but also an equally large expansion of the contact area for thetouch in each free direction.
 5. A method as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe larger contact area for the release of the touch being at least 25percent larger than the contact area for the touch.
 6. A method asclaimed in claim 1, the method comprising performing signalling once thecontact area has been touched.
 7. A method as claimed in claim 6,wherein said signalling being a light, voice or vibration signal.
 8. Amethod as claimed in claim 6, the method comprising continuing thesignalling as long as the touch remains in the area that is interpretedas the contact area and that was touched.
 9. A portable electronicdevice comprising a touch screen having a plurality of contacts areasand a control unit for interpreting control commands given on the touchscreen, in which device the combination of a touch on an areainterpreted as a contact area and a release of the touch from the areainterpreted as said same contact area is interpreted as a controlcommand, wherein once the contact area has been touched, the controlunit is configured to interpret a larger contact area as said samecontact area for the release of the touch than the contact area beforethe touch.
 10. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unitis configured to interpret the larger contact area for the release ofthe touch including, not only the contact area for the touch, but alsopart of the area adjacent to the contact area.
 11. A device as claimedin claim 9, wherein the control unit is configured to interpret thelarger contact area for the release of the touch to include, not onlythe contact area for the touch, but also an equally large expansion ofthe contact area for the touch in each free direction.
 12. A device asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit is configured to interpretthe larger contact area for the release of the touch to be at least 25percent larger than the contact area for the touch.
 13. A device asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the device includes means for performingsignalling once the contact area has been touched.
 14. A device asclaimed in claim 13, wherein said signalling is a light, voice orvibration signal.
 15. A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein thedevice includes means for continuing the signalling until the touchremains in the area that is interpreted as the contact area and that wastouched.
 16. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the portableelectronic device is a mobile station.
 17. A device as claimed in claim9, wherein the portable electronic device is a PDA (Personal DigitalAssistant) device or a portable computer.
 18. A device as claimed inclaim 17, wherein the device comprises means for establishing atelecommunication connection or a short-range wireless connection.
 19. Adevice as claimed in claim 18, wherein the telecommunication connectionis an Internet connection.
 20. A device as claimed in claim 18, whereinthe short-range wireless connection is a Bluetooth, infrared or WLANconnection.